 "Photo: Allyson Riggs (stock)")
Even with extra funding now available for academics, program elimination continues to gain momentum at HSU.
CSU Chancellor Charles Reed released $50.9 million of federal stimulus funds this month. The money, $1.4 million of which is allocated to HSU, should “add critically needed courses and sections in fall 2010,” said Reed in his memo to the CSU presidents.
The $77.5 million of stimulus money comes from the Federal Education Stabilization fund, meant to save jobs and help students in the wake of an almost $20 billion state deficit.
Reed previously released $25 million in October to provide classes for this spring. HSU kept 112 classes which were previously set for cancellation this semester.
The new funds may save 228 classes this fall, said university spokesman Paul Mann.
The release of the funds came after pressure from the California Faculty Association and their campaign “Free the $50 Million.” Within four days, students and faculty sent more than 600 messages asking Reed to release the funds.
“We applaud the chancellor for making the right choice in releasing this money to campuses,” said CFA President Lillian Taiz in the association’s response letter. “The question now is how and when this money is going to be used.”
The $1.4 million will cover HSU’s current deficit, said CFA representative Sue Pak. “According to Provost [Bob] Snyder, we’re short by $1.3 million this semester, so this stimulus money will cover it.”
However, program elimination has been expedited through a resolution passed by the Academic Senate this month in a unanimous decision. Every program is “back on the table,” said Snyder at the “Meet the Decision Makers” event last week.
Academic Senate Chair Saeed Mortazavi said elimination is necessary despite the extra funds.”The $1.3 million of program elimination is going to be a permanent budget cut,” said Mortazavi. “The $1.4 million that the chancellor’s office has released is only one-time money.”
The decision to eliminate classes despite new academic funding raises Pak’s concerns.”It seems pretty premature for us to undergo program elimination when we have guaranteed funding for this year. Once a program is eliminated, it’s permanent,” said Pak.
Mann is unsure how much the federal funds would help decrease program cuts. “It won’t be known until the spring,” he said.
Onlookers like Pak don’t understand why elimination is happening when the budget remains a mystery to the school. Not only did HSU receive federal money, but Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger promised full funding to higher education in his budget plan.
Federal funding or not, program elimination moves forward. “Everything’s ‘probably, maybe,’ so we’re going to eliminate programs now when we have no idea what’s going to happen?” asked Pak.
“We might have funding for next year, so I don’t understand why we’re speeding up this process.”
6 comments